A Little Blue Book
by Etimire T
Summary: Et imagined what it would be like to finally meet his grandfather, the legendary Doctor. He thought of thousands of situations, but he never thought he'd find himself chasing a mulit-colored stingray across London in pursuit of his older sister, Susan Foreman, along side his new human friend, Raina Clemens, a girl whose life was written out in a book published decades ago.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A little blue book fell of the shelf it had resided for more years than anyone cared to count; that's how it all started. That's how I met Et, and that's how I discovered the rest of universe.

School had been hectic, as usual, and I was glad when the bell finally rung, releasing me to lose myself in a book. Friends were not really in existence when it came to my life. The best I got from the other kids was a lopsided, pitying smile, and the worst, well, I had my fair share of humiliation. Walking home on this particularly wet day, my nose was buried in a science fiction paperback I hadn't had the chance to finish. In the distance, Big Ben rose above the fog and watched over London like a protective father. Glancing at it, I saw that the construction work on the face was nearly done. Nearly three years ago, a ship of some sort crashed into the tower, sending its whiskers flying halfway across London. There were some people who would swear the ship had been extraterrestrial, but I passed that off as rubbish. What else could it be? Sure I would love to believe somewhere among the stars little green men with antennas rode in disk-shaped ships, I mean, that's why I read so much science fiction. But _come_ _on_, it's in the name, science _fiction_.

I walked down the road, my feet creating ripples through many puddles. Without noticing any of my surroundings, I didn't see the woman until she burst through the doorway of a used bookstore. Shouting in surprise, she moved too quickly to stop herself and ran directly into me. My cry echoed hers as the woman's coffee spilt on my arms and stomach.

Losing my balance, I found myself on my bottom, a thoroughly soaked book thrown from my left hand. The woman gasped, "Oh! Are you alright? I came out so quick I didn't see!"

I nodded my head, shaken but otherwise alright. My thick winter coat blocked most of the hot liquid from my skin.

I looked up at the petite woman, who extended a hand to bring me to my feet. She had short dark brown hair that framed her face in an appeasing and gentle way. Late thirties, I decided. She looked kind and very sorry about knocking me over. "I'm alright, it's just my-"

"Oh, no!" interrupted the woman, leaning down to pick up the soiled story I was staring at. She frowned sadly at the blurred ink covered in coffee. After inspecting it for a few minutes, she sighed and handed it back to me, "I'm always sorry to see a book thrown away, but I'm afraid that one's quite irredeemable."

I nodded in agreement, wordless.

The kindhearted woman seemed to sense my disappointment, and gave me a half-smile, an idea lighting her eyes. "Well, I'm not a bookshop keeper for nothing, and I can't let you go out like that," she gestured to the brown stains on my coat and jeans. "Come inside for a moment. I'll fix you up."

"It's ok, really."

"I insist," smiled the woman. She grasped my hand gently, and there wasn't much I could do but follow her, "Was on my way out, but I'm glad to have an excuse not to go." she continued, leading me inside the old shop.

"Where were you going?" I asked, curious. A few lounge chair were set in the corner, a place for a bookworm to hide away. She sat me down and gave me a few paper towels to wipe myself off.

"Oh, no where important, really. Just an old junkyard."

I glanced up, not sure if I heard her right.

The woman saw my perplexed look, and smirked. "It's a place I use to go when I was younger, much, much younger…" a sad look clouded her eyes, "you know when you hold off something, and the longer you do, the harder it is to look back?"

I nodded hesitantly, not quite sure what she meant.

The woman sighed, "I don't want to go back, but I do, you know?"

"I think so,"

The woman chucked, "Sorry, I'm not sure why I'm telling you this."

"It's alright." The woman had my curiosity aroused.

She smiled, "I suppose I'm just afraid. After all these years, how can I expect it to be there? I mean, he locked me out to keep me here!" running a hand through her hair, she looked lost. "Of course, I really did want to stay at the time, but after my husband passed away I started looking for my home again."

"Why? Don't you know where it is?"

"I do, but now that the War is nearly upon us, they've blocked any travel inside."

I frowned, as far as I was aware, there weren't any large wars going on anywhere.

"He was never one to stick to the rules, but I doubt he could manage to get me in. It's dangerous for any of us to be outside, but they've sealed themselves up tight, I don't think he can even get himself in, not that he would." A small smile lit her lips.

I was wondering what on earth the woman could mean. Who was this man she was talking about? However, she interrupted my thoughts by scrambling to her feet with a sigh and a stretch. I rose, looking about the bookstore. It was definitely old, but in a quaint, cozy way that made me feel safe. Actually, I realized, the store reflected the woman who owned it, although she didn't look too old, her eyes were that of a person who had seen more that anyone could in a single lifetime.

"So," said the woman, after I finished drying myself off. "I've got a ton of books, and you've got a soiled one, how about we trade, your book for one of mine?"

My green eyes lit up, "Really? Awesome!"

"Of course!"

Scurrying off into an isle at random, a small giggle of delight escaped my lips as I rapidly scanned the rows and rows of books.

"I'm Raina, by the way," I offered from across the room; she was probably the nicest woman I had ever met.

"That's a pretty name," the woman replied from the front of the store. She was leaning against the desk. If I had turned I would have seen a look of pleasure and delight on the face of that woman, who had spent so many years alone. "I'm Susan, Susan Foreman."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Et drummed his fingers against the wild controls. This entire trip was not meant to end well, he knew. When Et made it back, his family would _kill_ him, that is, if he didn't die on the way, which the way things were looking now, might be a possibility. Stupidity and foolishness had drove him out here, away from the safe harbor that had been created for him and his kind. However, he couldn't stand and wait for his sister to be found and exterminated. She was out there somewhere and Et would find her first. What exactly he was going to do once he did, Et wasn't sure, but he figured he would come up with a solution when the time came. With one word to work with, and all of time and space to search, Et was desperate for signs of his sister. The word was Earth.

Typing it into the database, he cross referenced the word, whatever it meant, with Arkytior. The screen bleeped for a few moments and came up blank.

"Oh, come on!" he shouted, kicking the consul, "I know she's out there, you stupid machine!"

The machine bleeped and vibrated in protest, causing Et to roll his eyes. "Sorry," he grumbled very unapologetically. He leaned back on a bar, which suddenly disappeared. Tumbling down two flights of stairs, Et lay groaning. "Ok, I get it! Not a stupid a machine."

There was a gasp of steam that sounded uncannily alike to an indicant huff.

"Yeah, whatever."

Et climbed up to the consul and bit his lip, "If I only knew more…" he muttered.

The TARDIS beneath his feet jerked this way and that, successfully unbalancing him and making it nigh impossible to fly. Et was hardly passable when it came to driving skills, even when he practiced with eight other people, the way a time machine was supposed to be flown. Now he could barely keep himself from flying out of the vortex. Not to mention, the TARDIS wasn't making this any easier. "Stop! Stop! Please!" he begged, dangling from the platform. "Let me explain!"

The irritated machine slowly ceased to jar, and Et was able to climb up to the consul. "I- I know I have no right to take you away, and I know by doing so unlawfully, your database automatically counts me as a criminal, a thief." He paused to catch his breath, his blue eyes sparkling with fear and emotion, "But if I understand correctly, you can see the intentions of your passengers. Their hearts and souls. I am begging you, _please_! Search me. I stole you _temporarily_ in order to find my sister, who all of Gallifrey sees fit to abandon. "

His words were met by silence, as if to say, _go on, you idiot._

Slowly, he lowered himself into a seat toward the left of the door and rested his elbows on his knees. "You have many sisters, and if I remember correctly, which I do, one of them harbors a thief and a liar, the greatest man in the universe." Et ran a hand through black hair that hung just above his ears in untidy curls. "I know you don't trust me… yet… But your sister trusted that man, did she not? Look how _that_ turned out." He smirked, "If you can't trust me, trust the influence of my grandfather. It is his blood running through my veins."

No sound greeted him for several seconds, and Et was briefly worried she hadn't heard him, but then the consul screen flashed white. Et jumped to his feet and leaned in closely. A single word appeared in black lettering.

_FINE._

Et laughed in relief. She heard, and more surprising, agreed to work with him! "I didn't know you can reply like that!"

_As you might have noticed, I'm much younger that some of my sisters_. _My systems have been updated to include a basic communication device._

"Really?" Et was still wary the machine was going to plunge him into her depths, "Why haven't I heard of this?"

_If you paid attention in class, you probably would have, however, this function is primarily disabled._

"Why's that?"

_I believe my sisters and I are said to be rather… well, free spirited_.

Et frowned, picking at the collar of a rather itchy uniform he was required to wear at the university. As soon as there was a chance, Et was going to find a wardrobe and try on something more to his liking. "Then why create the function in the first place?"

_You ask to many questions, boy._

"I have a name, you know." The young Time Lord replied.

_Yes. Names are dangerous things._

Et nodded, tapping his shoe against the glass flooring, "Not for me, it isn't. I don't have one of _those_ names."

_Everyone has a name that must never be spoken, whispered through the vortex. Only some hear and know their true names calling from within._

Et was silent, "I didn't hear my name." he whispered after a moment.

The TARDIS gave a huff. _Renunciation achieves nothing, Et. Your grandfather knew this_.

"And I wish I knew my grandfather, because right now he would be a great deal of help."

The TARDIS did not reply in words, but several images of a woman scrolled across the screen.

"That's her!" Et cried, pointing at the young woman in the faded pictures. "That's my sister!" suddenly Et's face grew hot, "I've been trying to find a trace of her all night, and you knew!"

_Yes, well, you were a thief._

"You didn't tell me!" he shouted, but a smile graced his lips. "Where is she?"

_Planet Earth, a rather favorite spot of our grandfather, so my records say. She goes by the name Susan._

Et smiled, "Then let's go get her." Pressing a three tiny button, cranking a lever, and searching beneath the consul for another button, Et just barely managed to set the course, before something slammed against the outside of the TARDIS.

Red lights blared, and a siren shrieked. "What's happening?!" Et shouted, thrown against a stairwell spiraling upward.

The screen flashed red and white static, _Warning! Enemy collision_!

"What enemy?!" Et cried, as the TARDIS was spun in circles.

His question was answered while the words were still in his mouth. From outside the walls, several gravely voices screamed.

"TAR-DIS HAS BEEN LO-CAT-ED! EX-TER-MIN-ATE! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"

Terror gripped Et's throat, "How did they find us? I put the shields up!"

_No you didn't. I counteracted the command. _The letters scrolled across the screen before evaporating into static.

"Why would you do that?!" Et screamed.

_You were a thief._

"Oh, come _on_!"

The engines died and suddenly Et felt his stomach drop as they fell through space.

"MI-SSION A-CCOM-PLISHED. TIME-LORD SHIP EX-TER-MIN-ATED."

Crap. That was not good. Et scrambled to his feet and smacked at the controls, attempting to regain command. "NO!" he shouted, as the machine spiraled downward, upward, and all around.

The air was thick with heat, and a fire burned off to the right. Et's hearts beat wildly. He was going to die. Right now. At the speed he was going, it was unlikely there'd be a chance to regenerate before he was crushed. With a scream of frustration, Et threw his hands in the air, at the mercy of the nearest hard surface. There was nothing he could do.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I didn't see the book until it fell onto the wooden flooring. Frowning, I glanced around to see if there was anyone who could have pushed it. Besides Susan, who was still at the front desk, there was no one around. I bit my lip curiously, and slowly made my way to the fallen soldier. Small, with a dark blue fabric cover, there was no title. It looked old, and dust billowed up from the place it landed. Bending down, I retrieved the book and held it in my hand. I flipped through the untouched pages, and started to read a page it fell open to.

**"Don't look under the bed. We can't let it get to us. There's no escape after that. These despicable monsters, living out their days feeding on the energy residue we give off. Trust me, Raina Clemens. They're not to be messed with."**

Something tapped my shoulder. I shrieked in surprise, revolving in a swirl of brown curls.

It was Susan, who looked just as surprised as me. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

I sigh of relief escaped my lips, and I smiled ruefully. "It's fine. I guess I was buried a bit deep; didn't hear you come up."

Susan nodded in understanding, "Good book then?"

I thought for a moment, "I'm not sure. It's probably a coincidence, but one of the characters has my name."

Susan raised an eyebrow, "I doubt it. The universe is hardly so careless as to go about making _coincidences_."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"I mean, there's probably a reason you happened to pick up that particular volume. Nobody has done so since someone donated it here years ago."

I laughed, "It doesn't even have a title!"

Susan replied with a smile, "More of a mystery then, isn't it?"

I contemplated the woman's logic. What she was implying was totally impossible, but I was intruded anyway. What sort of monster was it talking about anyway? The book felt comfortable in my hands, and I found I did not wish to leave it.

"Well? Have you made your choice?"

I bit my lip for a moment and then nodded, "Why not." I shrugged.

Susan led me to the front of the room, her heels clicking on the floor like a clock. "It was nice meeting you, Raina. Good luck."

I smiled, albeit confusedly, as I pressed a hand against the glass door, "With what?"

Susan laughed, "Your adventure, of course!" she winked, "Never ignore coincidence. I've learned that much in my time."

What that could possibly mean was lost on me, but I nodded politely. Leaving the store, I turned back for a moment, "Susan?"

"Hm?"  
"Thank you for the book, and- and I hope you find whoever it is you're waiting for."

Susan graced me with a sad, but grateful smile, "You're a kind girl, Raina. I hope so too." With a little wave, I exited the building completely, and walked down the sidewalk in the bitter cold, my hands gripping the book tightly to my chest.

Cleaning off my boots, I entered through the back door of my house. The screen slammed loudly as I made my way to the kitchen. "I'm home, Mom!" I called, setting my backpack onto the table and rummaging through a cupboard. The book lay on the counter.

To my surprise, Mother came bustling into the kitchen wearing her fanciest attire. She rushed about franticly, grabbing her keys, and stuffing other knick-knacks into her purse.

I stood stunned. "Uh-"

My mother finally noticed me, grinning a wide smile. "Guess what, Raina?"

"I-"

Mom rushed on in her excitement, "Some kind soul dropped off to tickets for your father and I."

"What sort of tic-"

Mother kissed my cheek, "I've always wanted to go to an opera, and now we have the chance!"  
I had somewhat gotten over my shock, and smiled at my mother, "When is it?"

"Tonight at around seven, but the show is almost an hour away, so I thought we should leave early."

"What about Kat?" I questioned. "When are you coming home?"

Mother reapplied bright red lipstick as she answered, "We'll be back at about one or so. Would you mind watching your sister? She should be home any minute now, the bus is usually late."

I nodded and stuck a cracker in my mouth.

Mom stopped for a moment to look at me sympathetically, "Sorry this is so last minute, but it's a one-time thing. I don't want to miss it."

"It's fine, Mom. We'll be alright."

She smiled, "Thank you." glancing at her wrist watch, my mother exclaimed, "Oh dear, we can't be late!" she hurried to the base of the stairs, "GARY! I _WILL_ GO WITHOUT YOU!"

There was a muffled reply and then several bangs as my father hastened to Mother. "Right then," he huffed, out of breath, "You look nice, dear."

"Nice?"  
"Brilliant! I totally, completely, meant brilliant."

My mother smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

Suddenly I choked on my cracker, spewing it every which way.

Mother frowned, concerned, "You alright, Raina?"

My fingers were trembling as I read the first page of the book. While Mom was shouting I'd picked it up. I gulped, eyes wide. "Fine." I said, my voice a hoarse whisper.

Mother smiled, not quite convinced, "Alright then, we'll be off!" she kissed my cheek, leaving a red smudge. "I love you, Raina."

"This book, Mom, it kn-"

"You'll have to show me later dear. Sorry, must dash." With that, the front door was shut with a clunk, and I was left in silence, staring at the white page. A paragraph had my eyes glued,

**I stood dumbfounded as my mother rushed about, preparing to leave for the opera. She quickly kissed my cheek, and put my dad in his place, before addressing me, "I love you Raina. Sorry, must dash." **

What. How did-

My brain was running in circles as I read on.

**Kat would be here any second now, and as I stood reading in the kitchen I heard a distinct slam.**

The door opened and shut again from around the corner.

**I heard her petite voice call out.**

"I'm home!" Kat cried, skipping into the kitchen. Slamming the book shut, I stared at her in disbelief and horror.

"How did- how can it possibly-"

"You alright, Rai?" Kat asked, her little face concerned. Her cheeks were red from a run through the brisk air, and her blonde hair was curling like a halo around her head.

I shook myself rapidly, "Yeah, it's just this book."

"What's it about?"

I blinked several times, before answering, "Me, apparently."

Kat was a smart kid at age eight, and probably could have been in fifth grade if she tried. Staring at me with a look of confusion, I could see I'd stumped her. "What?" she said.

I sighed, "Never mind. I'll show you later." I extended a bag I grabbed from the cupboard. It was full of little candies. "Jell baby?" I asked.

Kat shrugged snatching one out. "Where's Mummy?"

"She and dad are out to see an opera, or something boring like that. Anyway, we're alone until tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Kat paused to consider this, "Can we watch the telly and eat popcorn?"

I smiled, "Sure, after dinner, I guess."

Kat's face glowed with excitement. We weren't often allowed to watch telly, so doing so was a great treat.

Dinner that night consisted of left over macaroni, fish sticks, and at Kat's insistence, some custard for dessert. After gobbling down a serving, we quickly cleaned up the kitchen. Kat smiled and jumped up and down on the couch as I pressed the power button. Although I pretended to be happy, my mind was still focused on that little blue book laying on the counter. My mind was folding in on itself, trying to come up with an explanation. It was all I could do to keep from rushing over and throwing the book in the trash. Either that, or pick it up and continue to read.

About two hours of cartoons went by, and Kat was fast asleep. The clock said it was around 9:30. I glanced at her and smiled sadly. She was such a pretty little thing, curled up with her head on my lap. The kids at school always made it seem weird to actually _like_ your sibling. Of course, she could be extremely annoying at times, but in all honesty I enjoyed spending time with her. Placing an arm beneath Kat's slim form, I carefully attempted to lift her off the couch. Kat mumbled in protest and I froze. She was heavier than I had thought, however I managed to lift and and carry her up the stairs. My feet padded across the grey carpet, and I lay her down in a blue and white room. Glow-in-the-dark stars were taped to her ceiling. I watched as her nightlight slowly rotated shadows of space across her dresser and wall. I sighed tiredly before exiting the room. Shutting the door gently I left Kat alone in the near darkness. The moment I was gone, Kat's blue eyes flew open, a look of fear on her face.

Now that Kat was asleep, I could finally figure out what the deal was with this book. I bit my fingers, staring at the cover. The deep blue seemed to draw me in, irresistible. I found my hand reaching forward, and quickly stepped back. There was definitely something not right about it.

Sucking in my cheek, I was struck with an idea. I needed to do some research. Snatching the story up, I jogged up the stairs and came down again with my laptop. Setting the novel on the coffee table, my fingers did an uncertain dance above the keys. What could I write? The book didn't even have a title, as far as I could tell. I typed (little blue book), which did nothing for me. It was too vague. Suddenly, my eyes lit up. _Of course!_ I thought.

Flipping to the title page, I saw that although the space where a title would usually go was blank, a single name was printed neatly underneath. **Written by Rebecca Clare.** It said.

I typed in the name, tapping nervously as I waited for the results to come up.

I must say, I was surprised when several websites appeared, however, after a bit of research I realized that they were all secret conspiracy sort of sites. Apparently, no one knew who this Rebecca Clare actually was. Some doubted she even existed.

Her only book was left at the doorstep of a publishing office, where it was sent out into the public. The woman was never seen, and no other records of her exist.

I choked as I read the next line on the website. _The book depicts the adventures of a girl living in modern day London, and the descriptions are accurate with our time period, however the book was published in 1943. How it is possible for this Rebecca to have imagined modern day life from so long ago? That is a question baffling all its modern readers._

"1943." I breathed, "A book from 1943 is narrating my life." I couldn't even fathom how that was possible.

Suddenly, I felt arms around my neck. Jumping, I turned to see Kat stare at me with frightened eyes. I frowned. "What is it? I thought you were asleep."

Kat gulped, "The monster woke me up."

I rolled my eyes, and Kat frowned indignantly. "Kat, there is not a monster under your bed." I said.

Kat shook her head, eyes wide. "Last night is was in my closet, I can hear it growling under there now."

I sighed, knowing she never went back to sleep after she heard the "monster". "I thought you were done with him." I said.

Kat shivered, settling down next to me, "He went away for a while, but now he's back."

Taking a deep breath, I let her cozy in closer to my side, I could feel her warm breath across my arm. "What're you lookin' at, Rai?" she said.

I contemplated not telling her, but then shrugged, why not? "You know how I said this book is about me?"

"Yeah?"  
"Yeah, well it is. It's like it's narrating my life."

Kat's little nose scrunched up, "How's it doin' that?"

I shrugged, "And you don't even know the best part. It was written in 1943. That's before Dad was even born."

Kat's eyes widened, "Before, Daddy? That's a really long time ago!"

If I hadn't been totally freaked out, I might have chuckled at her last comment.

Kat thought for a moment, and then looked up at me. "That's silly, Rai. Books can't do that."

I nodded, "I know it's silly, but just look!"

I handed her the book, and she read quickly for her age. Watching her eyes widen as she read through our evening, I felt this reality cemented into my mind. It was actually happening.

"It says we walk to the orchard." Kat said suddenly.

I looked up quickly, "What?"

"Right here, see?" she ensued to read out loud. "**Kat and I walked to the orchard behind our house, out into the wet, cold and dark, to see what could possibly have made such a loud**-"

Kat's voice was interrupted by an explosion that rattled my teeth and knocked a glass cup off the counter, along with several items on differing shelves. They shattered in a burst of glass.

Kat screamed, dropping the book, and I sat rigid with fear. I glanced at her, our eyes meeting. "It came from the orchard." Kat whispered, her voice weaved with fear. "Just like the book said."

Standing up, I drug Kat to her feet. "Fetch your coat, Katelin Clemens."

Kat's eyes were wide. "Are we going to investigate?"

"Why not?"

Kat shrugged, tip-toeing off, "There aren't monsters out there, right?" she called, pulling on red clogs.

"I don't know."

Kat was silent, but she finished putting her coat on. Grabbing my own, I turned the knob slowly, and the two of us crept out into the night.

Reaching the end of our backyard, I opened a rickety gate leading into our neighbor's orchard. Technically, we weren't allowed in here, but I was rather certain that this event was an exception. Besides, our neighbor had been gone all weekend. Apparently, they both won the lottery.

My boots sunk into the mud and made squishing noises. Kat was unsuccessfully trying to keep her nightgown from dirtying. After ten minutes or so of walking in the darkness, Kat's grip numbing my hand, I reflected it probably would have been a good idea to bring a flashlight. Tripping over stumps, I barely managed to keep Kat on her feet. Perhaps I was being ridiculous, going out like this in the middle of the night. If Mom knew, I would be in _so_ much trouble. I was about to give up and go back, when Kat gasped, pointing forward.

"What's that?"

I frowned, squinting. There was definitely something out there. A bluish light shined out of a large mound of earth. Several trees had been uprooted, but the mound was too tall to see what the object of the massive disturbance was.

Creeping forward slowly, Kat clung to me in a very, well, _catlike_ way. We climbed up the large mound of dirt, slipping and sliding in the mud. My heart was beating wildly, and if Kat hadn't been with me, I might have bolted. However, as it was, we came closer and closer, curiosity edging me on.

"Did you bring the book?" Kat whispered.

I shook my head, "No, why?"

"Just thought it might be good to know what's inside before we see it."

I was surprised by her clear reasoning, "Well, too late now." I said.

We reached the top of the mound and paused before peeking over the side. I glanced at Kat, "Ready?"

Kat nodded, biting her lip. Her face was muddy and small, but I couldn't help noticing how brave she was being.

"Alright then, on three." I counted slowly, while Kat held her breath. "One, two, three!"

We burst over the mound. "Whoa." Kat breathed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Et didn't have a clue why he was still alive, not even an inkling. That was unusual, because Et had in inkling regarding just about everything. Perhaps it was the fact that he was thrown into a pool right before impact, floating weightless within the depths of the TARDIS, he had managed to survive, just barely. About ten seconds before impact, the TAIDIS had heaved up her flooring and threw him through three libraries, a bird observatory, and finally the pool. He basically felt like road kill.

It took forever to climb out, and when he finally reached the door, it took all of his strength to push it open. Working with one arm was hard, as the other one was rendered useless at the current moment. It was bleeding heavily from a cut on his forearm, and his shoulder was pounding painfully enough it made his head spin. It was probably dislocated. Several small cuts littered his body, among which a swipe across his cheek. It bled more that Et would have liked. He kept having to spit the salty taste from his mouth. Refusing to respond to his entreaties, Et deduced the TARDIS hid herself away after saving him, in order to stay safe from the crash.

With wet fingers, Et dangled on the bottom of the door. Heaving his weight up, he clicked a button. The doors fell inwards. Et almost lost his grip, but slowly, very slowly, he managed to crawl upwards, sprawling on his back in the mud. Rain sprinkled his forehead and Et gave a happy laugh, which sort of hurt. He was alive! Actually alive!

Sitting up slowly, Et saw he was in a rather large crater, the center being his stolen TARDIS. Et breathed in and out. There was air on this planet, and he hoped civilization, preferably not one that would eat him, or something un-polite like that. Et took a quick inventory of his situation, as he had been taught. He was stuck on an unknown planet with a TARDIS he didn't know how to fix, and no possibility of a rescue team. Basically, things were looking _fantastic_. Et stood carefully, "Two feet," He muttered, "Two hands, well sort of." He glanced at the arm he couldn't move. "I've got eyes, my hair hasn't been singed off, and- and," Et wasn't sure what else there was. "I'm soaking wet, thanks very much, you tin can." The last comment was directed to the TARDIS, which currently was in a standard setting, a metal cylinder about seven feet high and three feet wide. Et would have to change that as soon as possible, it was very boring. The machine was unresponsive as it lay on its side. Et frowned, leaning down to stroke the frightened thing, "I'm sorry, you're not a tin can. It's alright to come out now." The TARDIS did nothing.

Et sighed and sat down on top of it. What was he going to do? Not only had he failed to find his sister, but now Et was in the same position as she was.

Suddenly, Et heard a voice behind him. "Is he a monster?"

Et shouted in surprise, falling backwards off the slippery metal, and landing with a groan. The little girl scurried backwards in fear, hiding behind an older girl.

Et blinked, looking at them upside down. Slowly, righting himself, Et was careful not to jostle his shoulder, although it was inevitable some pain would be induced. Closing his eyes, Et tried to catch his breath. After a moment he opened them again. The two girls before him looked positively terrified. _Rightly so_, Et thought, _I probably look like a disaster_. For a moment, Et could think of absolutely nothing to say. "Uh- Hi." He tried.

The older girl gave a frightened grin, "Hello."

The little girl pulled her sister's hand, "Is he?"

Et tried to smile, even though it hurt. "No, I'm not a monster." He realized it was night, and if he glanced up Et could see the stars. His people were out there somewhere.

"Who are you?" asked the older girl. She had pretty brown hair that curled down her back. Her green eyes sparkled suspiciously in the darkness.

Et opened his mouth, "My name's Et, well actually it's Etimire Cerin, but that's really hard to say, honestly, and takes much too long. No one has time to waste with ridiculously long names." He panted weakly. Et realized he probably sounded insane. Then again, insanity was a flexible term when it came to his family. The little child smiled. Her clothes and face were muddy, but she looked like a little angel.

"I'm Katelin, but no one calls me that."

"What do they call you then?"

"Kat."

"That's a pretty nick-name, Kat." Et was exhausted, but he didn't want to frighten the girls. He addressed the taller girl now. "Can you tell me where I am?"

The girl blinked, "I-uh, you, um, landed in our neighbor's orchard."

Et blinked. "No, I mean which planet?"

The little girl called Kat giggled, "You can only live on one, silly!"

Understanding dawned on him. This was a level five planet. The inhabitants didn't know there were other worlds out there. "Yes, but what do you call your planet?" he pressed

The older girl frowned, "This is Earth. Is there another option?"

Excitement flared through Et's hearts. He made it! The commands had been pressed in time! Et struggled to his feet. "I've got to find-" Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit him and he stumbled in the mud.

"Raina! He's hurt!" Kat cried. The girls raced forward to break his fall as the Gallifreyan lost consciousness.

Dragging an unconscious boy who appeared to have fallen out of the sky, across an orchard in the middle of the night was probably the hardest and most ridiculous thing I had ever done. Not to mention Kat was pestering me with million questions I didn't know the answer to.

"He says he's not a monster, Raina, do you think he's an alien?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Aliens aren't real."

"But he didn't even know what planet he's on!"

"He's hurt, Kat, probably in shock or something." I groaned, trying to keep the boy, _Et?_ From bumping too much.

"You just don't believe it."

"I believe what I see, Kat."

"He fell from the sky in a giant metal thingy!"

I sighed, reaching the back porch, "Open the door for me."

Kat obliged, all the while never taking her eyes off Et. His black hair, or perhaps dark brown, hung in loose curls around his head, and his limbs were long. From what I'd seen, his mannerisms bordered onto awkward. Also he was soaking wet. At first I wasn't sure what to do with him. Kat pointed at the couch and put down several towels. I dragged him onto them. "Maybe we should call the hospital or something."

Kat's eyes widened, "Not if he's an alien, Rai! Then they'll take him away to experiment on!"

I gave her a sardonic glare, "Since when did you become an expert on aliens, and besides, he's _not_ an alien!" However, I didn't call the hospital.

Kat rolled her eyes, and I turned my attention to the boy. Something was wrong with Et's shoulder, and his arm was bleeding badly. "Get me a rag or something." I directed. Kat scurried off. While she was gone I tried to find any other large injuries, but besides the cut on his face and arm, he seemed alright. Kat came back and handed me a washcloth. I tied it as tightly as possible around the injured forearm, and suddenly Et awoke. He tried to stand up, looking around in confusion and fear, but I pushed him down, "It's alright," I said soothingly, "you passed out so we brought you to our house." Et blinked, seeming to remember. I continued, "There's something wrong with your shoulder, and I-"

"It's dislocated," Et said. I nodded, "You need to put it back."

I stepped back, "but I don't know how!"

Et nodded, assuming as much. "It's alright, I'll talk you through." Although he clenched his fist so it wouldn't show, he was trembling from the pain.

I bit my lip, glancing at Kat, who just stared. It wasn't like I could decline to help him. "I- alright, what do I do?"

Et took a deep breath, "When I say so, grab my hand and place your foot on my axilla."

"Your what?"

Et rolled his eyes, nodding toward his armpit. "Then you need to pull straight out, hard as you can."

I took a deep breath, "Sounds simple enough."

Et nodded, "Just don't jerk my arm too much, you could break the bone." He was matter-of-fact.

I gave a short burst of laughter, "Right, stay away from jerking. Got it."

"You sure?"

"No, not really."

Et sighed, "At least you're honest, uh-"

"Sorry, my name's Raina." I said.

"Raina, the longer you wait, the more damaged it could be."

I ran my hands through my hair, "Alright, alright. Are you ready?" I turned to Kat, "Get me some ice, ok?"

Kat's eyes had never been wider. She rushed off.

"Good," mumbled Et.

"Yes, better if she doesn't have to see." I answered.

The boy's sapphire eyes met mine. They were brave and rebellious, but at the moment very much in pain. "On _three_ you pull, ok?"

I nodded, positioning myself.

Et took a deep breath "One, two, _three_!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"_Aaaagh_!" Et shouted.

"What?! What is it?" I cried.

Et's eyes were squeezed shut, "No, don't stop! Give it a second."

Suddenly, there was a loud pop that made my stomach flip. Et's face cleared and he lay back with a sigh of relief. "Welcome back lefty!" he laughed, testing his arm carefully. After wincing, he seemed content to let it lay.

Kat scurried in, surprise on her face. "You fixed it!"

I let out a pent of breath, "I hope so."

Et nodded, "It feels fine now," he waved it, and then quickly winced, "Well, almost fine. Definitely much better. I can fix the rest once I get back to the TARDIS."

"The _what_?"

"A metal thingy." Et explained dismissively.

"Oh," I said, not quite sure what he meant.

I stared for a moment, realization hitting me. I just did that, something I never thought I could do! This night was the craziest thing to happen to me in all of my fifteen years! Surprising myself, I felt my heart quicken in excitement.

Kat sat down on the red rug at my feet and stared expectantly at the boy.

"That," I said, "Was truly terrifying."

Et laughed, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I completely agree." Suddenly, his face scrunched up, like he was trying to recall something. "Earth…" he muttered. "If only I can remember the inhabitants..."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"It started like, _hue_-something." Et wiped his face on a towel. "Perhaps if I paid any attention in class, I'd know these things… Hue- hue…"

After a moment, realization dawned on me, although I wasn't wanting to believe he was saying what he was, like he wasn't one of us.

"I told you," whispered Kat. I nudged her away.

"Human?" I tried carefully.

Et's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's right!" he got to his feet and paced back and forth, for no other reason than he couldn't stay still for long. "And if you lot are from earth than you must be humans too!" Et paused, "Huh, well wadayaknow. They say you only have one heart but I never really belie-"

I gulped, "You're not human." It wasn't a question.

Et frowned and turned to look at me, "Well, obviously. A boy with two hearts just fell out of the sky in a TARDIS on a level five planet, and you think I'm human?"

I snorted, "Two hearts? Get out."

Kat frowned, walking up to him, "Prove it." She challenged.

Et shrugged, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a stethoscope. Stepping back, I surveyed him in surprise, "How'd you fit that in your pocket?"

Et frowned, "It's a trans-dimentional spli-" he stopped suddenly, seeing our blank expressions, "Uh, bigger on the inside."

"Really?" said Kat.

"Yup," he answered, handing me the stethoscope.

I frowned skeptically, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not? Satisfy yourself."

Carefully, I set the stethoscope against the right side of his chest. A strong heart beat resonated between his ribs. Moving to the left, my eyes widened in shock as another clear beat sung out. Quickly stepping away, I felt my mouth go dry. He really wasn't human…

"But- but, you look human."

"No, sorry, you look Time Lord. We're first."

"Time lor- what?"

Suddenly, we heard the sound of a car grinding up the driveway. Kat gasped, "It's Mom!"

"Who?" asked Et, but he was left unanswered as we rushed about to clean up the mess on the couch. I swept the broken glass up.

"Quick!" I said, "We have to hide you!"

Et opened his mouth and then closed it again, "But why?"

I gave an exasperated sigh, "If she finds you here, Kat and I will get in a _lot_ of trouble."

"I- uh, ok." Et frowned. He scratched he back on his head and stood awkwardly.

I search desperately for a place to hide him. My eyes landing on the ceiling. "The attic!" I cried. Within three seconds I had the stairs unfolded and Et scampered up, catching his shoe on the edge and nearly tumbling down. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"Shhh!" I said, "If anyone opens the door, find a place to hide, ok?"

"I-"

"Good, don't go anywhere."

"That's unlikely."

I could hear my mother's footsteps on the concrete outside. Quickly, dumping the last of the towels into the washer, I sent Kat up to bed, reminding her to hide her muddy clothes. Kat pecked my cheek and raced away, a smile on her face. "I told you-"

"I know, run up stairs." I whispered.

Just managing to throw off my boots and coat, I curled up in a blanket on the couch. The keys turned in the lock and the door swung open to reveal my parents.

* * *

My mother sighed tiredly, glancing around the dark and quiet house. My father entered after her, hanging the keys on a hook and shrugging off his jacket. "Well," he said quietly, "it looks like Raina has this situation under control."

"I couldn't agree more," Mother murmured.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: Ok, so have a request. A Little Blue Book is a bit boring of a title, but I can't think of anything else, if you have any ideas, please post them below, I'd be extremely grateful! Before anyone asks, yes, I do have several random Doctor Who quotes and references ingrained throughout this story. This is for no other purpose than my own entertainment, so enjoy. Also, yes, Et is very much like the Doctor. That's the point. He's a much younger version of his grandfather.**

* * *

Chapter Six

I opened my eyes to my bedroom. The wooden walls were painted white, and my slanted ceiling depicted glow-in-the-dark stars. Just about everything else in the room was navy blue. My blankets, the rug, the lamp, all blue; I loved it.

Sighing contently, I stretched myself out. Dad carried me to bed last night as I pretended to sleep. One would think it impossible to rest after the current events, but I was surprised to find that the moment I hit my bed, it was suddenly morning.

With a yawn, I sat up and glanced out the window. Both my parents' cars were gone. It was one of the two days a week where my mother also went to work. Usually we were at school, but it being the first day of Christmas break, until six tonight, it was just Kat, me… and the alien in the attic.

Great.

My life was starting to sound like one of the low budget movies I'd find on Netflix. Shaking away the thought, I hopped from bed and changed out of my nighty. Pulling on a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and a pair of jeans, I padded barefoot down the stairs.

The door to Kat's pink room was cracked open, and I could see her small form breathing peacefully. Unless she had to, Kat never got up before ten, unlike me, who was up at eight o'clock sharp whether I wanted to sleep in or not. My mother said it was my internal alarm clock.

Approximately three minutes later, I was struggling to pull down the attic stairs while keeping hold of a plate. With an impatient huff, I set my load down and succeeded to draw open the hatch. The boards squealed in protest as my bare feet pressed against them. I poked my head into the undisturbed room, wondering why I never thought to hide up here before. Sunbeams of the early morning shined through a dirty window, and I could see dust drifting, partials caught in the net of light.

I drew in a quick breath. Et was nowhere to be found. Had he left in the night? Did something happen to him? I bit my lip, climbing up the rest of the stairs and setting my stuff on the ground.

"Et?" I called timidly.

There was a bump from behind me and I whirled around just in time to see someone fall out backwards from behind a pile of junk. I laughed at the comical sight as a red and gold clad boy clambered to his feet.

"Sorry, Raina. You said to hide if anyone-"

"Yes, I know." I said with relieved smile. Sitting down on the floor, Et, lowered himself likewise a few feet away. For a moment I wasn't sure what to say. "I- uh," picking up the plate I handed it to him. " Thought you might be hungry. I don't know if you like this sort of thing, I don't even know if you ea-" I trailed off, seeing Et devour the food. "I guess you do eat, then."

Et frowned, speaking through a mouthful, "Why 'ouldnt I?"

I shrugged, "I dunno, I just thought maybe-"

"This is amazing!" Et interrupted, swallowing, "Is it some sort of human delicacy?"

Snorting, I hid a smirk, "Uh, yeah; something like that." We sat in silence for a few minutes as I watched him eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I handed him some clothes I'd grabbed randomly. An old sports jersey and some sweat pants. "You can't change into these if you want. They're my brother's, but he's at collage right now, so I doubt he'll miss them."

Et smiled like she'd just given him the best gift ever. "Cool!" he said, snatching up the clothes and darting behind pile of boxes. Throwing off his torn, bloody, and mud-stained uniform, he replaced them with more normal clothing.

Appearing dramatically from behind the boxes, he smirked, "How do I look."

I snorted, "Jeeze, that's awful!" he looked ridiculously thin with the slightly too large clothes hanging off him.

Et opened his mouth and then closed it again, huffing in offence. He turned and stared at himself in a dusty full-length mirror. After a moment, he shook his head. "Ok, you are completely correct." He went behind the boxes again, prying open suitcases at random. I imagine some of the clothing had been worn by my grandfather when he was young.

"What are you doing?" I asked, dodging flying shoes and old clothing as Et rummaged through the case, throwing rejected items behind him.

He came out again several times, each time with an outfit more outrageous than the last, and I banished him to the box pile each time, however, after the sixth or seventh outfit, at which point Et was getting extremely board of trying on clothes, he came out again.

I blinked. "Bit old fashioned, but it's better than the others."

"Really?" Et viewed himself with a grin. "Yeah, I like it." Tidying the black jacket, he studied himself. He was wearing blue converse, a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt beneath a double-breasted jacket. A driving-cap I imagined newspaper boys wore in the 1920s rested atop his mess of black curls. He could have stepped right out of a black-and-white photo. I suppose that was the consequence of trying on clothing that hadn't been worn for a generation or so.

Now that we had that settled, we sat down again.

Et sighed, leaning back against an old cassette player. "I imagine you have questions." He said quietly.

I smiled, "Only about a million."

"Shoot." Et replied, "I've got time."

Questions poured from me like water, and the alien told me about his home planet, Gallifrey, where Time Lords live. He told me about the Daleks, who attacked him and sent him spiraling toward earth in a stolen ship called the TARDIS. "You stole a spaceship." Incredulous, I glanced over his skinny, non-imposing figure.

Et saw my look and huffed, "Oi! Shut up! She's more than a space ship."

I shook my head, not sure what to think. "Doesn't look like much."

"Yes, well, she's in a standard mode right now. A TARDIS can look like just about anything."

"Seriously?"

Rolling his eyes, Et bounced up and messed with a hatbox my grandmother used to own. Opening it up, he tried on a flowery hat. Then he threw the hat and the hatbox aside. "Yes! I'm serious! I saw one looking like a sailing ship once. My grandfather's TARDIS looks like a police box."

I frowned, confused. "What's a police box?"

Now it was Et's turn to look baffled, "Smallish blue box? Used in the 1960s or so, 'bout seven feet tall? _You_ _don't_ _know_? I thought everyone knew about _his_ TARDIS."

Et could see my blank eyes, not a clue what he was talking about. "Erm… sorry, no. Should I?" I answered after a moment.

Et shrugged, "Used to be a time when everyone knew about him, but no one's seen the Doctor for a while. He's trying to keep away from the war, or that's what they say."

I blinked, "Doctor what?"

With a sad smirk, Et tapped his hands in a random beat, abruptly changing the subject. "I meant to ask you, what year is it?"

"What _year_?"

"We're not called Time Lords for nothing, Raina. The TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space."

"…"

"Do you get it _now_?" Et asked.

"Sorry. Didn't clear anything up," was my unfortunate reply.

Et ran frustrated hands over his face, "We're time travelers, Raina. Now can you _please_ tell me the date?"

Great. I'd just add that to my mental list of impossible things that apparently are not impossible. "It's December 15th, 2008."

Et's eyebrows rose, "Really? Isn't there a holiday you guys celebrate around now?"

"Christmas?" I tried.

"Yes! _Christmas_!" The boy's eyes were wide with excitement, "I've heard about Christmas."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I had to write a paper when I was ninety-three." Et yawned.

_"Ninety-three?!" _I choked_, _"How old _are_ you?"

"One hundred and, um… thirty-seven?" He looked perplexed by my astonishment.

"Jeeze," I murmured. This was all getting a bit over my head.

Suddenly something clicked into place and I gasped. "It has to be connected! It's too big of coincidence!"

Et frowned, "In my opinion, the universe is too lazy to make coincidences."

I blinked. Hadn't Susan said something just like that? I shook away the thought and grabbed the blue book from behind me, slapping it down in front of Et. "What's this?"

"Erm…" Et picked up the book, studied it for a moment, and then set it down again. "I'm gonna take a wild guess, and say it's a book?"

I glared sardonically at him, "No, it's more than that." Was my reply, "This book has been narrating my life."

Without even bating an eye, Et picked the book up again, "Really? How interesting…"

"You don't think it's impossible?"

Et laughed, "Naw… stuff like this happens all the time at home."

"Really?" I was honestly shocked.

"Yeah, people go through something and after, write a guide book to help them through it." Et smiled, "They travel backwards in time and publish the story, so that their past selves will find the book."

This was all starting to make sense… sort of. "So you think I wrote this?"

Et shrugged, "Yes, your future self did. It's the only logical assumption."

I blinked. _Right_, _logical_. The book seemed to weigh more in my hands than before, "But it says it's written by Rebecca Clare…" I argued.

"Raina Clemens, Rebecca Clare, not that big a of difference. It's probably just an alias." Et deduced.

I sat back against a stack of dusty books and an old umbrella. "When do I write it? In the future, I mean."

Et picked at the floor absently, "I imagine, at the end of the book."

Quickly, I began to flip through the pages, looking for the end, but suddenly the book was snatched from my hands, snapping shut. "Hey!" I said, offended.

Et shook his head, "You can't do that!"

"Do what?"

"Read the end of the story," Et explained, like he was talking to a small child.

I was confused again, "Why not?"

With a sigh, Et set the book gently between us, "Because the future can't be changed, not after you read it, then it might as well be set in stone."

I bit my lip. "So if I read that something bad happens…"

"Then it's doomed to take place." Et finished with a nod.

The light through the dirty window shined dimmer. With Et's perspective, I was suddenly aware of the potential gravity of my situation. I needed to be more careful.

We spent most of the morning talking about this and that, our voices bouncing throughout the house. I told Et about Earth, and he told me about Gallifrey, just because we could.

Et wandered into the kitchen, his stomach growling. The human girl Raina took off a moment ago to fetch an unknown object called _glue_. Apparently, the substance was used to stick objects together. Et wondered why he'd never been informed of this miraculous substance's and asked her to show him some. Climbing onto the counters, he was busy banging through cupboards when Et heard a shriek and a pater of bare feet.

It was Kat.

"_Raaaaaina_!" Shouted a high pitched voice, "The monster's under my bed again, Ra-" Kat grinded to a stop at the sight of the oddly dress boy rummaging through her cupboards. "Et? Whatcha doing?"

Et stumbled off the counter sheepishly, like a child caught stealing from a cookie jar. Shrugging, Et ruffled the little girl's blonde halo. "Your sister gave my something this morning and I was looking for some more. Do you know what it is?"

"My sis'er doesn't know how to really cook, it was p'obably a sandwich."

Et beamed, "Yes, that was it! A sandwich!" he shut the cupboard with a bang and turned toward the child, "Now, what was it were you yelling about?"

Kat sighed, pulling herself into a chair at the kitchen table. "Raina doesn't believe me, but I _know_ it's real."

Et frowned, leaning down so he could look her in the eye. Curiosity sparked through the eyes of the alien. "What's real?"

Her eyes growing wide and afraid, Kat bit her lip and whispered, "There's a monster under my bed."

The boy's grinned like he'd just discovered a stash of candy, and he sat down, his attention solely on her. "What sort of monster?" he asked.

Kat shrugged, "I dunno. I never saw it. It makes a slurping, growling noise at night."

Et gulped down the last of a handful of marshmallows he'd found in the pantry. "Well then, that's not good, how about we go check it out?"

With a wide smile, Kat stood up and grabbed her new friend's hand. No one had ever believed her before, and she was astonished by Et's reaction. He didn't laugh at her or call her a little baby. "Come on!" she said, and they rushed up the stairs, passing by Raina.

Raina was pushed against the stair railing as they flew pass. "What's wrong?" she said, following them up.

Et didn't reply, his mind focused on his task. Whenever Et had a purpose, he didn't stop for anything. There were only a few things Et truly hated, one of which was boredom. He would do anything to keep his mind occupied, and this little investigation was great fun.

Et entered Kat's pastel colored bedroom and looked about for a moment before throwing himself on the floor. "You said it's under the bed, right?"

Kat nodded in affirmation and Raina sighed. "You're not _seriously_ looking for her 'monster', are you?"

"That depends," Et replied distractedly, "On whether it's actually a monster, could be a whole manner of things." Raina was stopped short by that. She'd spent her entire life discounting tales of the impossible, but if an alien could land in her back yard, was it so far-fetched that something lived under her sister's bed?

Et crawled closer to the pink and white bed. Blankets hung to the ground, preventing him from seeing beneath. Biting his lip, Et reached inside his coat pocket and came up empty. With a grumble, the alien glanced at the two girls. "Can you hand me a torch? I left all my things in my uniform pocket."

Kat nodded, nervous, but happy to help. She grabbed the torch she used as a nightlight, and handed it to Et. Smiling mischievously, Et accepted it and slowly lifted the covers, switching on the light at the same moment.

There was silence for several seconds as the trio leaned forward in anticipation.

Et huffed, disappointed, "Well sorry, Kat. I guess we were wro-" Suddenly something dropped to the floor beneath the bed, snatched at the torch, and crushed the light.

All the children screamed in surprise, scrambling backwards. Et snatched away his hand and stared in shock at the bed. "Well then," he gulped, "I believe there is a monster under your bed, Kat."

The older girl's eyes widened with fear and surprise. "What is it?" she breathed.

Et shrugged. "I have an idea, but I can't be sure." The alien was grinning like a madman, which Raina found a bit disconcerting.

Clinging to Raina's hand, Kat peeked from behind her older sister. "I told you s-"

"Yes, yes. You were right." Raina rolled her eyes, noting Kat looked more than a little smug.

Smirking, Kat turned to Et, who was still staring at the bed. "What do we do? Why is it under my bed?"

Et sat up, scratching his head, "If it is what it think it is, which it probably is, then I suppose it's doing what it always does, eating Traveler's energy."

"What?" questioned Raina.

Et ran a hand through his hair, he seemed to have a habit of that, "Don't let it touch you. There's no escape after that. These despicable monsters live out their days feeding on the energy residue we give off. Trust me, Raina Clemens. They're not to be messed with."

I blinked, remembering the paragraph I'd read in the blue book when I first opened it. How odd to be living that moment now… "Who's _we_?" Raina felt confused again.

"Time travelers," Et replied, as if that was totally obvious. "Our travels create…" he paused, searching for a word, "_disturbances _in theuniverse. As I result, we give off a certain energy signature. The creatures absorb the energy and any left overs are turned into a deadly poison that seeps through very part of their skin."

"So, nice guys then?" Raina coughed.

Kat made an icky face, "Gross." She murmured.

Et nodded grimly, "Very much gross."

If the situation had not been so serious, Raina might have laughed at the alien's choice of words. "If it targets time travelers, then what's it doing under Kat's bed?" She wondered.

Et chewed on his lip, clearing thinking, "_That_ is a good question, and one I _think_ I know the answer to… If I only can remember!" Et smacked his palm against his forehead, apparently trying the jostle his memory into submission. "OH!" he cried suddenly, making the girls jump. "Right, so," Et got to his feet and started pacing. "Even when a person hasn't traveled, they can still have the energy signature because they travel sometime in the future. Kat may not have traveled _yet_, but she will someday. You two have had the energy signature since you were born. Get it?"

Raina blinked, "That simple, ey?"

Et nodded enthusiastically, not picking up on his friend's sarcasm. "I learned that in a class about a decade ago; never had the misfortune of running into one of these things. They're a terrible nuisance back home, but I haven't had to deal with one before. Heard stories…" Et trailed off, lost in thought.

"Et!" Raina cried, waving a hand in his face.

Et flinched, pushing her hand away. He sighed. "Course, it might not be what I think it is. 'Still can't know for sure."

"What do we do?" Raina prompted.

With an excited grin, Et turned toward his new friends, "We catch it."

I stood holding a large white blanket. Memories were stuck to it like flypaper. On warm summer nights, I hauled it out my window and onto the roof. Then I climbed through and stared at the stars. There were few memories I had that were so peaceful and quiet.

Now however, I was standing opposite Et, felling my stomach tumble and twist into knots. Et was bouncing up and down holding a yard stick and another flashlight in his hands.

Supposing someone asked, I would say I was scared as heck, but no one asked, and I wasn't about to reveal myself. "What're you gonna do with the yardstick?" I asked.

Et gave me a withering, _are-you-seriously-that-dull?_ look. "I will force it your way with this stick," he held it up, "And the light, it doesn't like light. When it comes out on your side, throw yourself and the blanket on top of it."

All in all, this was not the fool-proof plan I was hoping for. 'Kay, and don't let it touch me?"

Et nodded, "Don't let it touch you."

"What do I do?" Kat asked timidly. She stood to the side, biting her fingernails. I almost forgot about her. How horrible was that?

Et thought for a moment, and then looked her in the eye. "You need to tell me where it goes if it escapes."

Kat's blonde curls bounced on her head as she nodded very seriously. I gave her what I hoped was a calming smile. Part of me was astonished that Kat was telling the truth the whole time, and the other part was ashamed for not believing her. I mean, I was her big sister! Shouldn't I know these things?

Shaking the thoughts away, I concentrated on the task at hand, now was not the time to morn my lack of discretion.

"Raina?" Et called from the floor.

I nodded, and then realized he couldn't see me. "Ready when you are!" I could hear, or more feel, the creature as it shifted heavily beneath the bed. I gave a half smirk. It had a right to be nervous.

"Ok then," was the muffled answer. For a moment, Et popped his head up, an excited and brilliant look in his blue eyes. "On three. One, two, three!"

**Author's Notes: ****_Annnnnd_**** another cliff hanger! It makes me fell all powerful and stuff when I do this to you lot! ****_Muuhaha_****! Perhaps this is how Steven Moffat feels… So more confirmation that probably should have been made a few chapters ago. This is ****_before_**** the Time War, so any Doctor you get in this story will be Eight, and less likely, but possible, lower numbers. For Nine, Ten, and Eleven, all of the other Time lords are dead, so I can't have them interacting with Et and others. Very grim, I know. However, you may see a future doctor at some point, I haven't decided yet. Anyway, I don't know if this story will end as a novel or keep going like a TV show would. If I do decide to continue the story in another book, I'll tell you the title of the next book at the end of this one. **


	7. Chapter 7

There was a sudden flurry of motion. Et ripped up the covers and jabbed under the bed with that trusty yardstick of his, and shined the light in what he hoped was the thing's eyes. He'd never been great at alien anatomy.

Apparently Et's probing did the trick, because there was suddenly a giant, black mass flying at my face. Screaming, I threw my weight into it. The blanket separating me from the creature, I attempted to wrestle the alien to the ground. It had a thin tail that ended in the shape of an arrowhead. The edges were razor sharp, and as it whipped around, I felt it knick my arm. Gasping, my eyes grew wide in pain, but I quickly hid it.

"Et!" I screamed at my friend, "I can't hold it!"

Instantly, the alien was by my side. Together, we tried to keep it under control, but the thing was strong, and it dragged us across the room. Screaming at the top of our lungs, we could hear the it growl before throwing us off with a surprising burst of strength. Flying backwards several feet, we landed awkwardly against the walls.

My head was spinning, but I got a look at it as the thing slithered up the wall, and out Kat's window at an impossible speed. I suppose its appearance was most like a stingray, but it was so much more than that. The creature was black, but smoky white pulsed through its skin, giving it a ghostly appearance, like it was only partially formed. About eight feet or so from tail to tip, the creature was paper thin and had white, soulless eyes. Given enough time, I was certain the creature would have drained Kat and I dry of whatever energy we had and left us for dead without the slightest remorse.

Et groaned after it was gone. "Yes, that's _definitely_ a Retsnom." Clawing his way out of the pile of toys he landed in, Et brushed himself off, and straightened his coat. Proceeding to grasp my hand, he pulled me out of Kat's dirty clothes hamper. "Which way, Kat?" he called nonchalantly over his shoulder.

I frowned, making a realization. "You knew we wouldn't be about to hold it."

Et glanced quizzically at me, "Of course, I just needed you to slow it down long enough for me to get a look at it."

I stared at him in shock, seeing him in slightly a different light. "We could have gotten hurt!" I protested.

Et shrugged, "We didn't, did we?"

Huffing, I discreetly slid my sleeve down to cover the two inch slice down my arm. "No," I lied, not wanting to show this fearless being that I was injured.

"Et?" Kat said from the window. "It's going to the middle of the city."

Et turned toward my little sister, seeming to forget our conversation. "Good, well, no, bad actually, but you know what I mean." He grinned and quickly grabbed my hand. It was a bit of a shock, since I hardly knew him, but I went along with it as he raced from the room. This was just how Et was, I was realizing. Childish at times, brilliant at others, and always a bit mad.

"_Adelante_!" he shouted, "Onwards, Clemens!" his voice echoed through the house as he pulled me. I grabbed Kat's hand at the last moment, and we were thrown along for the ride.


End file.
